Monday, April 4, 2016

You’re Never Too Old to Play Tennis by Bryan Rosethal

Too often people
give up physical activity as they age. Whether it’s achy joints or a lack of
time, there are too many reasons people feel like they don’t have time to stay
in shape. Tennis is no exception.

People see pro
tennis players gliding back and forth across the court and think that they’re
too old for that. This is not true!

In fact, tennis is
a fantastic sport to play at any age especially as you get older. One of the reasons many people get
started playing tennis is because they know it’s a game they can play the rest
of their life.

Whether you’re
looking to get started at an older age, or want to learn how to stay healthy
while playing tennis, read these tips:

Preventing Injuries

A lot of older
people are worried about getting injured or aggravating a preexisting injury
when starting a new sport or physical activity. Tennis is one of the safest
sports out there, and a perfect fit for all fitness levels.

That said, tennis
injuries can happen. These may include a twisted ankle, tennis elbow,
or wrist pain. Whether it’s an acute injury, or long-term pain do not wait to
treat it!

Hopefully you won’t get injured playing tennis, but you
should always be prepared. In general, you can help prevent injuries by staying
in great shape. This may include doing regular agility drills, yoga, weight lifting,
or even just walking. You’ll have to tailor your workout routine to any
preexisting health conditions and your current fitness level. Injuries occur
often because the body is not equipped to take on new physical stress, so you
must adequately prepare your body beforehand.

Additionally, you should warm-up before any match. When your muscles are cold, you put yourself at greater risk
of injury during a match. A warm-up routine should include head to toe
exercises including stretching, jumping jacks, arm circles to name a few
examples. Rallying back and forth with a partner is important to not just for
your technique, but to acclimate to running back and forth on the court.

Proper Nutrition

Diet is so important for so many reasons. It determines our
weight, our energy levels and even things like joint and bone health that many
of us don’t think about. If you’re going to be an active tennis player, you
must make sure to have a healthy, balanced diet to provide enough energy, but
not cause fat gain.

Additionally, you always want to stay hydrated—both on and
off the court.

Finding Partners

A lot of 40+ players may be scratching their head at where
to find players. Definitely keep an eye on your local league as we hope to running 40+ leagues in most cities by 2017. Instead of looking to join an expensive tennis club, check out
the Tennis League Network’s …to check out the competition in your area.